Cutting and gripping tool



NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES TIMM, OF MORGAN PARK, AND ANDREl/V JOHNSON, OF CHICAGO,

' ILLINOIS.

C-UTTiNG AND GRIPPING TOOL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 471,445, dated March22, 1892.

Application filed May 6,1891. semi No. 891,835. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, CHARLES TIMM, residing at Morgan Park, in thecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, and ANDREW J OHNSON, residing atChicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, both citizens ofthe United States of America, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Cutting and Gripping Tools, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Our invention relates to an improved tool for use in gripping, cutting,punching, or indenting metals or other substances. The main portion ofthe apparatus is the same, whether the tool be a plier, cutter, punch,or indenter, the jaws, however, being different for the variouspurposes.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a tool in which theoperating-frame is so constructed that a greater leverage can be exertedupon the movable jaws, and consequently they can be operated withgreater force than has heretofore been possible with such devices.

A further object is to provide a cutting or gripping apparatus-ofimproved construction in which the wire or other material to be actedupon can be fed through the center of the frame unobstructed to thecutters and there by be cut squarely to its length.

Another object is to provide a cutting or gripping apparatus of improvedconstruction in which the cutters can be easily and quickly replaced andadjusted toward and from each other without mutilating or taking apartthe frame.

The invention therefore consists, primarily, of an improved constructionof operatingframe for accomplishing the above-mentioned objects.

It also consists of certain details of con.- struction whereby thematerial can be fed through the center of the frame directly to thecutters; in certain details, also, for accomplishing the desiredremovability and adj ustability of the cutters, and in various othermatters, all hereinafter described, and referred to in the appendedclaims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which.-

Figure 1 is a side view of the invention, showing the jaws open. Fig. 2is a similar view with the jaws closed. Fig. 3 is a sectional view ofone of the cutting-jaws, showing the means for attaching and adjustingthe cutters. Fig. 4 is a View showing the adj ustable gage in position.

In the drawings, A A represent levers, the greater part of which formthe handles of the tool. These levers are pivoted at the end oppositethe handles to a brace a. This brace, as shown in the drawings, is madeof one piece, bifurcated at each end, the ends of the levers A Abeingreducedand flattened at one end, as shown at c, this portion 0 fittingin the space out out between upper and lower sides of the brace a,rivets 11 passing through the ends of the brace and reduced'portion ofthe lever, pivoting the same together. The reduced portion '0 of thelever is preferably curved, and upon the end opposite that at which itis pivoted to the brace is pivoted to the end of jaws B B in'a similarmanner. These jaws B B are provided near their opposite ends with atransversely-extended flattened reduced portion cl, pivoted to a brace ein a manner similar to that described above. Extending between these twobraces a and e is a rod or tube f, rigidly secured to or made integralwith brace e, but passing through an opening a in the brace a. Upon thisrod or tube is coiled a spring g, bearing at either end against thebraces. It will thus be seen that when the handles A A are grasped andforced toward each other the brace a slides forward on the rod or tubef, compressing the spring g, and at the same time the shanks or longarms h of the jaws B are forced apart, thus causing, their short arms 1'to approach and act on the material in the desired manner. Uponreleasing the handles, the spring 9 forces back the sliding brace, thusreturning the parts to their normal position. The jaws B B,

it will be readily understood, may be formed for the purpose of cutting,gripping, punching, or stamping, the construction of operatingframebeing applicable to any of these purtain features, which render thedevice particularly useful for cutting wire and the like, and thesefeatures are also herein claimed.

Each of the jaws B B at the end of its short arm is preferably made ofsubstantially cylindrical form, as shown at D, having an openingextending longitudinally entirely through it. The rear end of thisopeninghasits sides screw-threaded.

The front portion of the longitudinal opening is enlarged, forming asocket 7t, adapted for the reception of the cutter O. Passing through anopening Z in the side of the cylinder D is a set-screw m, which bearsagainst the flattened surface of the shank of the cutter O, thusholdin git in position within the socket. In order to provide for adjustment ofthe cutters 0 toward and from each other, a screw or bolt it passes intothelongitudinal opening in the rear of the cylindrical portion and bearsagainst the inner end of the cutter. It will thus be seen that by theabove construction the cutters can be very easily replaced withouttaking apart or mutilating the frame, and, furthermore, that they can beadjusted to take up the wear or to allow for resharpening; also, thatthey can be shifted, if it is desired to do side cutting.

In order to provide for feeding the wire or other material to be actedupon through the the center of the device and unobstructed to thecutters, we provide the construction now to be described in detail.

The brace a has a central opening 0 in line with the meeting point ofthe cutters. EX- tending rearward from this brace and either rigidlyattached to it or made integral with it is the tube f, before referredto, passing through a central opening formed in the brace a. The openingthrough the tube f is directly in line with the central opening in thebrace so that a wire or other piece of material to be cut it it passesthrough the tube f will be guided directly to the central point betweenthe cutters, and thus be cut squarely to its length. It will be seenthat tubef not only serves the purpose of a guide for the wire, but alsoas a support for the spring g and a way upon which the brace a slides.In case it is not desired to feed the wire to the cutters centrally, wehave provided tapering notches p 19 upon the upper and lower faces ofthe brace e to guide the wire.

Upon one side of the tool is adj ustably attacheda gage q, having anupturned shoulder r, and by means of this gage the length of pieces cutby the tool may be determined and kept constant. It is not broadly newto provide an adjustable gage upon a pair of pliers adjustable by meansof a slot in the gage and a set-screw passing through said slot into oneside of the tool. My invention presents an improved construction forattaching the gage to the tool. One of the rivets, as t, which passesthrough the brace e, is hollow and provided with an enlarged circularhead, as u. The opening in the rivet and enlarged head is screw-theaded.The gage q rests upon the enlarged head of the rivet and a set-screw '0passes through the slot of the gage into the threaded rivet.

\Ve are aware that it is not broadly new to provide tools for thepurposes described in which the jaws are operated by a system of togglelevers, nor is it broadly new to provide a cutting-tool with removablecutters, nor to feed the wire or other material centrally to thecutters, nor to provide an adjustable gage.

Our invention, however, (litters in important features of constructionfrom suchdevices in the art as heretofore used, whereby we are enabledto operate the working jaws with greater power, to provide for thereadier adj ustment and removal of parts, and to provide a device as awhole more eflfective in operation than any heretofore known.

Having thus described our invention ,what we claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

l. The herein-described tool, comprising levers forming handles, amovable brace to which the same are pivoted, a guiding-tube on which thebrace slides, jaws pivoted at one end to the levers, a second stationarybrace to which said jaws are pivoted near their opposite end, and meansfor holding the jaws normally open, substantially as described.

2. The herein-described tool, comprising levers forming handles, asliding brace to which the same are pivoted, a guiding rod or tube onwhich said brace slides, jaws pivoted at one end to the levers and nearthe opposite end to a second stationary brace, and a spring acting onthe sliding brace for keeping the jaws normally open, substantially asdescribed.

3. The herein-described tool, comprising levers forming handles, asliding brace to which the same are pivoted, jaws pivoted at one end tothe levers and near the opposite end to a stationary brace, saidstationary brace having attached to it a rod or tube extendingrearwardly through the sliding brace and forming a way on which the sameslides, and a spring upon said rod or tube for keeping the sliding bracenormally pressed back and the jaws open substantially as described.

4-. The herein-described tool, comprising the levers and jaws, pivotedas described, a stationary brace, as 6, having a central opening, a tuberigidly attached to said brace and having its opening in line with theopening in the brace, and a brace, as a, sliding on said tube, and aspring upon said tube acting to keep the brace a normally pressedbackward, substantially as described.

5. In the herein-described tool, in combination with the sliding andstationary braces, jaws B B, and cutters, the removable and ad justablegage attached to the stationary brace, substantially as described.

6. In the herein-described tool, the levers forming handles, the jaws BB, said levers and jaws being pivoted together and to sliding andstationary braces, respectively, by through which the material can befed censuitable rivets, one of the rivets passing trally to the cutters,substantially as dethrough the stationary brace being hollow andscribed. internally threaded, a slotted gage bearing on In testimonywhereof we affix our signatures 15 5 the head of said rivet, and a screwpassing in presence of two witnesses.

through the slot and taking into the threads Y of the rivet,substantially as described. ON 7. In the herein-described tool, thecombination, with the handles and cutting-jaws \Vitnesses: to and thebrace to which the cutting-jaws are FRED I-I. BARNES, pivoted, of thetube f, attached to said brace, R. F. STOGKDALE.

